Performance and Measurement
Durham
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Durham is most similar to:
View assessments compared to peers.
| Performance Areas | Delivery | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Reducing Crime | Excellent | Deteriorated |
| Investigating Crime | Fair | Improved |
| Promoting Safety | Fair | Stable |
| Providing Assistance | Good | Stable |
| Citizen Focus | Fair | Stable |
| Resource Use | Good | Improved |
| Local Policing | Excellent | Stable |
Summary
Durham Constabulary occupies an area of 2,232 square kilometres, with a population of 595,000. Despite social and economic pressures, it is currently performing well against its peers.
Durham Constabulary is policed by two area commands, which are aligned with local authority areas. Each command consists of six police sectors with its own community inspector. These are supported by police community support officers and other partners.
Durham Constabulary has five goals as part of the strategy for 2005–08. These include reducing crime and disorder, improving the delivery of justice and strengthening community engagement. A number of painful initiatives, however, have had to be taken up to ‘balance the budget’.
One of Durham’s major achievements has been the successful hosting of part of the G8 summit, while multi-agency ‘action days’ have improved the outputs of arrests and use of alternative powers to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour. A new performance management framework allows better accountability and the force has achieved full compliance with the National Crime Recording Standard.
An efficiency plan which allows staff to suggest savings from within their own departments has been extremely successful and resulted in savings of almost £17,136,000. However, major challenges include a budget shortfall of approximately £4.4 million for 2006/07 and the force’s difficulty in dealing with ‘protective service’ issues.
For further information see the full baseline assessment.
Police Authority Chair: Linda Anne Wright
Authority Website: www.durham-pa.gov.uk
Chief Constable: Jon Stoddart
Force Website: www.durham.police.uk
Staff Numbers:
- Police Officers: 1699
- Police Staff: 728
- Community Support Officers: 67
- Other Staff: 0
- Special Constables: 109
Budget 2005/06: £105.4m
